A line has been crossed at FC Barcelona. What began as a medical disagreement has ended up as an open conflict with one of the locker room's heavyweights.
Everything has gone much further than Joan Laporta had planned.
The blaugrana board wanted Marc-André ter Stegen to sign a medical report. A simple document to present to LaLiga to justify his long-term absence.
Without that document, the club can't register Joan García, the goalkeeper signed as his temporary replacement. But the German has refused. That has been his response to the unworthy treatment he believes he has received.
Laporta reacts harshly
The club has opened a disciplinary file against Ter Stegen. It's an unprecedented measure in modern Barça. Laporta believes the footballer is disobeying an order that benefits the team.
He thinks he's putting his personal interests ahead of the collective good. He has decided to take action.
What the president didn't expect was the locker room's reaction. From the offices, it was assumed the group wouldn't defend the goalkeeper.
It was even thought that his past tensions with some teammates would weaken his position. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The locker room rallies around Ter Stegen
Ter Stegen has the group's full support. He has felt it these days in the privacy of the locker room, and he'll see it officially very soon. Because in the imminent vote to choose next season's captains, he'll be re-elected without discussion.
Internal sources confirm that even players who had differences with him in the past have decided to show him support. They believe the disciplinary file is a disproportionate measure. The club is losing control over an issue that should have been handled with more tact.
The rift is now public
Laporta has lost this battle. The worst part for him is that he can't hide it anymore. He has tried to keep the conflict private, but his decision to open a disciplinary file has had the opposite effect.
Now everyone around the club knows about the case. They know the locker room hasn't sided with the president.
Beyond the medical conflict, this crisis reveals something deeper. A breakdown in trust between the players and the board. A discontent that has been brewing for a long time, but has found its boiling point in this episode.
The fire is already burning. It won't be easy to put it out.